Edamame & Quinoa Salad

In preparation for Meatless Monday, I went to the grocery store with the full intention of making Southwestern Quinoa. It turns out I was in the mood for something a little more Asian, as I found myself in the frozen food aisle eying one of my favorite foods - edamame. I thought it might be tasty mixed with quinoa, so I quickly started Googling for any quinoa/edamame salad recipes (for a sanity check) and finding plenty, I grabbed it.

So in addition to the many different quinoa and edamame salads out there, here's my version.

For this Edamame & Quinoa Salad, you won't have to shell out a pound of edamame beans one by one. In the frozen vegetable section, there should be pre-shelled edamame.

I followed the directions to steam the edamame and cook the package of quinoa. I combined both in a large bowl along with some chopped carrots. I took some light soy sauce, a tablespoon of lemon juice, garlic seasoning, salt and pepper to complete the salad.

Quinoa and edamame together are full of great protein, fiber, iron, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, folate and vitamin K. If you haven’t tried these two gems yet, you really should! Next time I might also throw in some green onions, chopped peanuts, or use a sesame Asian dressing instead of soy sauce.

Enjoy!

Edamame & Quinoa Salad

1 package (16 oz) quinoa

1 pound (16 oz) fresh or frozen edamame, shelled

½ cup chopped carrots

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon olive oil

2-3 tablespoons soy sauce, to taste

Garlic powder, salt, and ground pepper to taste

1. Cook quinoa as directed on package. While it's cooking, chop up carrots and cook edamame as directed on package.

2. Once the quinoa is fully cooked, add it to a large mixing bowl with the carrots and edamame. Season with soy sauce, garlic powder, salt, and ground pepper to taste and stir until well blended.